Institute of Certified Genealogists

Institute of Certified Genealogists
Name	Institute of Certified Genealogists
Abbreviation	ICG
Formation	1967
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	United States
Fields	Genealogy, Family History
Leader title	President

Institute of Certified Genealogists is a professional association that offers credentialing and standards for practitioners in the field of family history research, documentary analysis, and lineage documentation. The organization interacts with archival institutions, historical societies, courts, and cultural institutions while engaging with practitioners who research pedigrees for clients, repositories, and publishers. Its activities intersect with prominent archival collections, historical projects, and genealogical standards initiatives.

History

The organization was founded in 1967 amid renewed interest in lineage societies and archival access trends linked to institutions such as New England Historic Genealogical Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames of America, and regional archival movements in Massachusetts and Virginia. Early leaders and examiners drew upon methodologies promoted by figures associated with Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, FamilySearch, and professionals working with repositories like the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress. Over subsequent decades the organization adapted standards in response to developments at Ancestry.com, legislative records in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and scholarly discussions in journals connected to American Historical Association and American Antiquarian Society.

Mission and Certification Standards

The stated purpose focuses on promoting rigorous standards for proving relationships, documenting sources, and preparing research reports used by institutions such as Cook County, County Clerk (United States), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Probate Court (United States), Hereditary Society Community, and academic venues like Harvard University and Yale University. Standards reflect evidentiary practices referenced by comparative models at College of Arms (England), Her Majesty's Courts, Public Record Office, and scholarly criteria advanced by editors of The American Genealogist, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and the Journal of American History. The organization emphasizes written documentation standards, proof summaries, and research plans comparable to guidelines used by National Archives (UK), International Commission for Archives, and state archives such as Texas State Archives.

Membership and Eligibility

Membership categories have included credentialed fellows, associates, and affiliates drawn from communities connected to New England Historic Genealogical Society, Palmetto State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Minnesota Genealogical Society, and other regional societies. Eligibility criteria often reference prior work submitted to lineage organizations such as Mayflower Society, Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, and professional expectations aligned with practitioners who have worked with collections at Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, or legal entities like Supreme Court of the United States when documentary proof was required. Members frequently have secondary affiliations with academic departments or cultural institutions including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Library of Virginia, and California State Library.

Certification Process and Examination

Certification involves a structured examination of methodology, case files, research reports, and source analysis similar in rigor to peer review processes used by The American Genealogist, National Genealogical Society conferences, and editorial standards of Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Candidates submit sample research projects demonstrating competence in records such as United States Census, Passenger lists, Naturalization records, Land patents, and probates filed with county courts like Cook County Circuit Court or state equivalents. The oral and written components are evaluated by panels composed of credentialed examiners with backgrounds linked to National Archives and Records Administration, State Archives, and genealogical editorial boards. Appeals and ethics cases have been adjudicated referencing principles similar to disciplinary protocols in professional societies such as American Bar Association and American Medical Association.

Professional Activities and Publications

The organization sponsors continuing education, workshops, and presentations often co-located with events held by Federation of Genealogical Societies, RootsTech, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, National Genealogical Society annual conferences, and regional society meetings at venues like New York Public Library and Boston Athenaeum. It publishes guidelines, standards, and case-study materials paralleling editorial output found in The American Genealogist, Genealogical Science, and society newsletters distributed through channels including FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and university presses such as Rutgers University Press. Members contribute to documentary editing projects, probate indexing initiatives, and source transcription efforts associated with repositories like the National Archives and Records Administration and state historical societies.

Governance and Organizational Structure

Governance is by a board of directors or council of fellows, with committees overseeing certification, ethics, and education, modeled on governance practices of National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, and charitable corporations that file with state agencies such as California Secretary of State or Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Leadership roles include president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and credentialing committees collaborate with examiners drawn from editorial boards of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register and advisory panels connected to Library of Congress initiatives. Organizational bylaws are comparable to those used by professional associations like American Historical Association and Association for Documentary Editing.

Impact and Criticism

The organization has influenced standards for professional genealogy used by practitioners interfacing with Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and probate courts, and has been cited in disputes over proof standards involving repositories such as National Archives and Records Administration and publishers like Oxford University Press. Critics have raised concerns about accessibility, credentialing barriers, and the relationship between credentialing and commercial entities such as Ancestry.com and Findmypast, while supporters cite improved reporting standards resonant with editorial expectations of The American Genealogist and scholarly societies like American Antiquarian Society. Debates mirror broader conversations seen in professionalization of fields represented by American Bar Association and American Medical Association.

Category:Genealogical societies